The Aeta are the least important of any of the ethnic groups on the islands of the Philippines, but to anthropologists they appear to be the most interesting. The Aeta tribe consists of approximately 10,000 people which is an estimated guess considering no extensive ethnographic studies have been done. They are extremely shy and steadily disappearing; in a generation or two they are said to be extinct.
They reside the Philippine Islands, the majority in Northeast Luzon. Here they are known as Dumagas and Bulagas. They can also be found in Mindano, Panay, and Negros in the Philippeans Islands. They live in permanent, self-supporting communities.
The word “Negrito” is a form of the Spanish “negro” black, and was given due to their short stature. The Aeta men are only four feet, ten or eleven inches and the females are only about an inch or so shorter. They live on average till age forty or forty-five, rarely living until fifty. They are more commonly known as “Aeta” or the “Aetas.” This is derived from the Malayan word for black, hetam. They have extremely thin legs, large skulls, and wooly hair.
The Aeta’s clothing choice is very simple, like most things in their life. Most men can be seen wearing girdles and walking around with bows and arrows. They occasionally use a blow-pip, but their chief weapon is the bow. They are extremely skilled at fire-making and can start a fire in two minutes even in the rain.
The Aeta are the least important of any of the ethnic groups on the islands of the Philippines, but to anthropologists they appear to be the most interesting. The Aeta tribe consists of approximately 10,000 people which is an estimated guess considering no extensive ethnographic studies have been done. They are extremely shy and steadily disappearing; in a generation or two they are said to be extinct.
They reside the Philippine Islands, the majority in Northeast Luzon. Here they are known as Dumagas and Bulagas. They can also be found in Mindano, Panay, and Negros in the Philippeans Islands. They live in permanent, self-supporting communities.
The word “Negrito” is a form of the Spanish “negro” black, and was given due to their short stature. The Aeta men are only four feet, ten or eleven inches and the females are only about an inch or so shorter. They live on average till age forty or forty-five, rarely living until fifty. They are more commonly known as “Aeta” or the “Aetas.” This is derived from the Malayan word for black, hetam. They have extremely thin legs, large skulls, and wooly hair.
The Aeta’s clothing choice is very simple, like most things in their life. Most men can be seen wearing girdles and walking around with bows and arrows. They occasionally use a blow-pip, but their chief weapon is the bow. They are extremely skilled at fire-making and can start a fire in two minutes even in the rain.